Summer (Scouts) Stuff

Thumbs up? Colton doesn't exactly look thrilled with his scouting adventures. We've been a little hit and miss on scouts lately, as I'm often carpooling other kids around. Colton does enjoy going to the Littlewood's house, especially if he gets to play on the basketball hoop in their backyard. During July, the boys attended the day camp for the cubs. I'd drop Colton off at the church in the morning, and they would be back later in the day. The boys were always filthy when they returned from the mountains!

Colton and the Cub Crew

(nice face Colton!)

Keaton's summer adventures were actually with youth conference. They went up to Jensen's cabin and did some hiking, four wheeling, jeeping and just hanging out. Here are a couple more pictures  of Keaton and the crew ...

Gray took a step back from scouting this summer ... he's been very heavily involved in the past several years, but he was using up all his work vacation on his trip to Europe. He still does several dozen derbies every year though! Cooper's group had several activities and camps but ... Cooper is Cooper, and his anxiety issues stand in the way of most scouting activities.

Summer Scouts

Scouting runs all year long ... but summer means scout camps! This scuba diving activity was a little earlier in the year, but Grayson bought a brand new underwater camera to take these pictures. He then took it on a later scout adventure ...

 Varsity camp later in August.

The crew ran the rapids and alas, the camera did not survive. The boat Grayson was in overturned and away floated the camera. So if you see one of those posts going around the Internet trying to return pictures, let us know!

Cooper and Colton attended summer cub camp too, although they weren't very happy about it. I think Coop actually had fun though. He came home SO filthy both days. He enjoyed the BB guns, and it started a lot of shooting in our own backyard after camp. Colton got sick and ended up missing the second day.

Keaton was also not very excited about camp (Bear Lake Aquatics Camp). Our ward is SO small there were only two of them. They combined with another ward, but Keaton didn't know anyone and was pretty nervous about the whole thing. He ended up having a decent time, and making friends with the other boys.

He even organized a couple get-togethers at Jump N Bounce with them later in the summer!

Ah ... Scouting.

Derby ... Done

It's that time of year ... Derby Time!

It's actually Derby Time almost every month of the year for Grayson, as he runs various derbies all over the area all throughout the year. But April and May, those are the busy months. Not only does he do several derbies for other scout groups, but he also runs the one for OUR scout group. And that entails more than just the day of the derby. 

A couple weeks before the derby, Grayson opens the garage, welcoming fathers and sons to come work on their cars. They can use the tools and techniques they might not have access to otherwise. Here's a couple snapshots from the workshop ...

... and of course Daddy had to help Colton and Cooper make their cars too!

Then it was the day of the derby ... I made a muvee

(see just the highlights, the night reduced to about three minutes)

And another photo collage ...

Another derby down!

Cub Cooper

If you know Cooper, you know he's not a fan of being out of his comfort zone. He's a homebody. He takes after his mommy that way. Cooper HAD been going to cub scouts ... then he stopped and it just wasn't worth the effort to force him.  He didn't even participate in the pinewood derby (and his dad is THE derby guy!) 

As there were some change ups in the leadership, we were approached about Cooper starting to attend again. He was very reticent, and it was so close to his 10th birthday (so he only would have been with that group for a couple of weeks) that again, I didn't push the issue. When he DID turn 10, his new leader stopped by and put on the spot, he decided to give it a try. He really liked it and has been going ever since.

I remember him bringing home a cricket to care for ... for a week or two anyway. I do think Cooper's cricket lasted the longest, but I don't know if he really noticed when the cricket wasn't there any more. They boys learned a lot of things, and got the badges, patches and pins at pack meetings. There are NOT a lot of boys Cooper's age in the neighborhood, and at times, Cooper was the ONLY one at the weekly meetings. His leaders would come pick him up and drop him back off ... which I really appreciated, as I was often busy running boys to basketball practices and such.

Now Colton has turned 8 ... so we have TWO cubs!

Sand Dune Days

In our ward, there is an annual Fathers&Sons outing to the sand dunes. It is always a favorite activity. Steal the flag, sand "surfing" and football keep the boys busy. As well as a little fun around the fire. Poor Colton got soot on his hands ... and all over his face!  

We were happy we had our doctor's appointment to get his cast off the day before the camp out. Sand down a cast would not have been fun.  Grayson, Callahan, Keaton and Colton attended. Landon wanted to go to a football game at his high school and Cooper ... well, Cooper is my homebody. He did have a basketball game Saturday morning that he didn't want to miss.  It was a little cool, and they didn't have as steep a hill as in past years, but they still had fun. Here's a little "muvee" to catch them in action. Grayson was trying out his new "Go Pro" camera!

Topaz Mountain

I think the scouts go to Topaz Mountain every year. Four Blackham boys went this year ... Gray, Callahan, Keaton and Colton (he was just along for the ride, the kid likes camping). Unfortunately, it was a RAINY night, and unfortunately, neither Grayson nor I had double checked Colton's bag when he SAID he had packed a jacket.

Luckily it was nice the next day ... (back at home, we were hit with rains on and off all through the morning). The boys collected rocks and even found a horny toad. 

I have the boys write in their journals each week ... 

this was Colton's entry:

"I went to camp it took 3 hours to get to the campsite we went hunting for rocks but they were special rocks they are called tapas they are crystals I don't think they are volable you could find clear ones and some in rocks."

Scouts, Snowmobiles & Sciatica

The Varsity Scouts went on an overnighter for a little skiing and snowmobiling. You can't see Grayson in the picture ... because he is taking the picture. Callahan and Keaton should have been in the group, but with a broken foot (the former) and just recovering from the flu (the latter) they were sitting this one out. Perhaps Grayson should have too! A bump while on the back of a snowmobile aggravated his lower back, he came home and laid down for a bit. When he got up again, the pain moved from his back to down his right leg. It was pretty intense. He was down and out the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday. He went to the doctor on Monday and got some prescriptions and was home for the entire week (still working, calls and computer).  

Gray doesn't have a great history with snowmobiles ... a few years ago he was going snowmobiling with a work outing. I was a little nervous, as I was aware of some bad accidents and close calls in friend and family history. And I did get a call from Grayson in the ER. He hadn't  made it onto the snowmobile actually, but had slipped in the parking lot, slicing his head above the eyebrow (it was before my blog, but I did include it in an inclusive Interesting Injuries post). 

I'm thinking Grayson shouldn't go snowmobiling anymore!

Callahan's Camp

Last Monday Callahan left for his week long scout camp at the Bear Lake Aquatic's base. A FB friend had kids working there and let me know the camp actually has a FaceBook page and would post pictures during the week (here). I looked through them, but Callahan managed to stay out of thier camera lens. I do think one of the leaders was taking pictures, so if I get more, I'll update. Grayson went up Thursday to join the group. Callahan had his final rec basketball game on Saturday morning. Gray and Callahan decided to leave a little a little early (heading out late Friday night) so that he would be able to make his game. They pulled in around 1:00 am Saturday morning. Tired boys!

Callahan wrote in his journal about camp ...

• 0730 (Monday) Went to Bear Lake today. My iPod got some use on the car ride there. I was planning on falling asleep but it was so loud that I couldn’t sleep. We had to go do our cold water checks right when we got there. Then I had Archery. It was boring today. We had to talk about the bow and the string and scoring our points. We finished early so we got to leave early.
• 0731 (Tuesday) I had the swimming Merit Badge this morning. The first hour we talked about First Aid. Then we had to jump in the water with long pants on and make floatation devices with the pants and shirt. It was really hard but Kaid and I finished before everybody else. Then Small Boat Sailing was boring because we talked about First Aid and Knots. It was really windy so we went in the water. The waves were huge! It was so fun.
• 0801 (Wednesday) My first class on Environmental Science was today. My teacher is awesome so it was fun and easy. My class was with Sam. The teacher plays basketball for Bingham High School. He was a 9^th grader and played 10^th grade and 11^th grade basketball. Then we had Wilderness Survival later. That class was boringer than En.Science. Then Travis and I went to get some jelly and bread at the Dining Hall.
• 0802 (Thursday) We had Small Boat Sailing today. It was really easy. We got done an hour and a half early. Then we had Archery which was fun because I rocked! You had to get 160 points with 30 arrows. I got 204 points. You shot 5 arrows at a time and you can get a high score of 50 points at the most. I got 45 points in one round. Then we hiked up a mile up the mountain and had to sleep up there for Wilderness Survival.
• 0803 (Friday) The hike up seemed like it took 2 hours. We had to get up at 5:30 in the morning. The hike down took like 10 minutes. We made a big breakfast today. It was so good. Then I had Envirn. Science again. It was easy … again. Then we went lunch. We had a 28 inch pizza  and amazing Raspberry shakes. We couldn’t get into the caves for an hour and a half so we didn’t go. Then Dad, Travis and I went home because I had a game on Saturday. We got home at 1 in the morning.

Keaton's Camp

Keaton is now 11, and summer scout camp consists of camp Thurs-Saturday, his first official overnighter with the scouts. Our ward has very dwindling numbers for Keaton's age group ... only three boys! Keaton, Quin and Edward (who just recently moved into the ward). Thursday they just went up for the day, getting home around 3:00. Off again Friday, staying until Saturday afternoon. Keaton said he did well in the archery portion, hitting several bullseyes. Here's what else he had to say ...

"I had scout camp last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday was a day camp. We had flags, rock climbing, archery, maps and compass course, and rifles. The second day we had pool, knots, lashings, nature and, boats. When all of the activities were over, it was free time. We got to do whatever we wanted in the camp until 5:00. We set up our tents and had dinner. For dinner we had steak, and potatos. It was really hot in the night. I couldn’t get to sleep until 11:00! The next morning we had pancakes, eggs, bacon, milk and, chocolate milk. Then it was free time the whole day until 11:00. We skipped the closing ceremony and went home. I was completely exhausted when I got home."

Cub Cooper

Cooper is a cub scout, and summer means scout camp! Monday and Tuesday, from 8:00 in the morning until about 3:00 in the afternoon. Last year, with Cooper's anxiety issues, camp wouldn't have even been a consideration, but he's come SO far and he was excited to go.

They started the first day with a breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Yum! 

Donuts were the breakfast the second day. 

Just LOOK at that messy face! He came home streaked with dirt and sweat both days. Both days he jumped into the shower as soon as he got back, and needed to lay down for a little nap after that (he was SO tired, he said all the boys fell asleep in the car on the ride down the canyon). He enjoyed the adventure and space camp, shooting bb guns and bows. I hope some of the leaders may have taken some pictures at the camp, and I'll update the blog post if they pass any on *Ü*

Another Derby Down

The Jordan Oaks 1st Ward Pinewood Derby was last night. This was Cooper's first official derby. Cooper did get into the car making, anxious for Daddy to get home from work so they could cut and sand and paint. Grayson actually hosted a couple derby workshops for all the boys who would be competing, but he was usually so busy helping everyone else during those times, that Cooper waited until he had his dad all to himself.

Here's Cooper with his completed car.

He's a Jazz fan!

The night before the derby, Cooper had a little meltdown. He said he didn't want to go to the derby, that it just takes too long. He didn't put up too much resistance the next night when it was time to go, and after his first race ... he was COMPLETELY into it. I'm sure the fact that he was winning every race didn't hurt.

Of course I put together a little Muvee 

with the pictures and video from the race ...

Congrats Cooper!

Just so you know ... Grayson really does NOT like having his son be an uncontested winner at our own derby *Ü* He said they really didn't put much work into the wheels ... sometimes a fast car is a fluke!

Happy Campers

Spring Break weekend, there was no basketball practice or games, but there was a scout campout. Early Friday morning, Callahan and Keaton headed out with a couple leaders and several other boys to go to Topaz Mountain. Friday was cold ... it even snowed, but Saturday was much nicer.  They didn't get home until after 6:00 on Saturday, so unfortunately they missed the Westra Easter party.  Initially, Grayson had planned on going too,  but then remembered he had a pinewood derby workshop Saturday morning. 

Both boys said that they did have fun.  One activity at Topaz Mountain is looking for topaz (go figure)  ... Keaton found a pretty good sized piece. They also shot guns, found lizards and played games (Keaton came home and said we needed to get a bunch of dice to play a game called "Pirate" that they learned.)

One of the scout leaders usually takes and posts pictures, so hopefully I'll be able to update this with more photos.  

Scout Stuff

We missed Pack Meeting in September (Gray had a derby and Keaton was helping him) and the one for October got cancelled ... so Keaton finally got his Arrow of Light award at the November pack meeting. Good job Keaton! Cooper was also officially welcomed into the pack ... as one Blackham Boy moves on, another moves in ...

Court of Honor

It was Court of Honor tonight. Usually, just Gray and the older two boys go, I stay home with the little ones. But Grayson accidentally scheduled a derby for himself, so I got to be the parental presence, and the little boys got to come along too. Keaton did turn 11 last month, so he is now included in the "bigger boys" although he didn't get any awards last night. As Cooper has started scouting, I went ahead and had him get his shirt on, and I even found an extra for Colton! Five Blackham Boy scouts!

One tradition of the Court of Honor are the POP prizes ... 2-liter bottles of soda sit on a side table, and as the boys are presented their awards, they get to pick a bottle of pop. Another item that has become standard at the presentations, is a video slideshow of the activities since the last Court of Honor. Gray was a little busy with work so he asked if I would put it together this time. I love making Muvees, and there were a lot of fun photos and video to work with. So if you want a glimpse into the activities of Pack 717, here you go ...

Little Sahara Sandbox

It's a great big sandbox ... Little Sahara. The scouts have gone camping there quite a few times. This past weekend the scouts (Fathers/Sons) went out again. Grayson took four of the five boys (can you guess who stayed home?) and there were plenty of other boys in all ages from the ward. The standard campout dinner is ribs (precooked, reheated in tinfoil). Yummy! Friday night, the boys played "Capture the Flag". Saturday, the group went to the top of a huge sand hill and with a couple of snowboards, they "sandboarded". I've included a few pictures below (more on my FB page here).

A little hacky sack action

Food and drink for Colton

I always get a little nervous sending my baby out camping without me, but he LOVES camping, he was SO excited to go. We were only packing for one day really. I gave him the overnight bag and told him to pack pj's, and extra outfit, and some extra underwear and socks ... when I checked his bag, he had put in seven underwear and eight pairs of socks! I added a jacket and some jeans :)

The boys brought a LOT of sand home with them (in their shoes, in the car ... and into the house).

Summer Camps

Scout Camp Keaton

Summer ... time for scout camps and youth conference. Landon's scout group had already completed their camp (check out "Back to Bear Lake" in the June posts), but as the younger boys were still in school through June, Keaton and Callahan's camps were scheduled for July.

• Keaton was up first, July 11-12, just going up for the day... coming home SO dirty each afternoon.
• Callahan was up next, Camp Steiner July 25-30. Grayson went up with him for the first couple days ... and ended up bringing Callahan back with him when he came home on Wednesday. They suspected altitude sickness - Callahan just wasn't doing well physically, and the two night were especially bad (he had one of his sleepwalking episodes too). Gray just thought it would be better to bring him home then to saddle the leaders with a sick kid for the remaining days. Back at home, he recovered pretty quickly.
• Landon left for youth conference Wednesday morning (July 27-30). Grayson was only home from the scout camp for an hour or so, just enough time to shower, unpack and repack. He turned around and joined the group at Pineview. There was a lot of boating, swimming and fun.

I'd write a little more ... but I don't know THAT much about what went on. The kids aren't really that talkative about their experiences. I asked the boys to write about their camps in their journals. Callahan's entry (July27) was pretty good, but Landon's (July31) ... it's very "Landon". As Keaton's journal isn't here on the blog digitally, I scanned it in and included it below *Ü*

Back to Bear Lake

After weeks of planning, many shopping trips (save those receipts!) and several training rides on bikes ... it was time for the scout campout at Bear Lake. Everyone gathered at our house on Wednesday morning and they were off ...

Grayson took our bike rack and attached it to the trailer to make this handy bike hauler ... over a dozen bikes!

The bike trip was one of the main reasons Bear Lake was selected as the destination. The boys needed to complete a 50 mile ride ... and the distance around the lake was 50 miles (Gray drove around it to verify a couple weeks ago when we went on our family vacation). The boys did great! Grayson and Jeff Hansen did it again Saturday morning before heading home.

... and such a ride is sure to build up an appetite right?

Pizza anyone?

... but you can't go to Bear Lake and not indulge in a raspberry shake. We'd had some when we went two weeks ago, but Gray and Landon said this place was even better ...

After the bike ride was complete, there was still time for other activities. Shotgun shooting ... Grayson came home with some nasty bruising on his right shoulder!

There was still snow ... in June ...

They visited Minnetonka Cave ... and of course, Grayson introduced the paracord, which was a big hit with the boys.

Bye Bye Bear Lake